Wishing Upon the Moon
by YenGirl
Summary: Harry makes a wish on his birthday and thinks only the moon will hear him. Pre-Snarry one shot.


**Author Notes:** Hello, everyone! Happy Birthday to our favourite Boy Wizard! Here's a tiny pre-Snarry one shot to mark the occasion. Enjoy :)

 **Summary:** Harry makes a wish on his birthday and thinks only the moon will hear him. Pre-Snarry one shot.

 **Warnings:** Some whimsy and fluff, but sadly no plot whatsoever.

 **Rating:** 'T'

 **Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is the brainchild of JK Rowlings.

\- Story Start -

Tonight's moon was a full one according to the lunar calendar.

Harry rested his hands on the metal railing at the top of Hogwarts' Astronomy Tower and gazed up at it. The moon certainly was round and bright, but he had always believed it looked its best the day after... which just happened to be his eighteenth birthday this time around.

He cast a _Tempus_ charm and saw it was five minutes to midnight. Just like his previous years, he planned to welcome his birthday with a wish. Although he no longer slept in a cupboard under the stairs, this tradition hadn't changed at all... only the wishes themselves.

This year, it would be about Snape.

Harry had been harbouring a futile and increasingly hopeless crush on the man thanks to the memories Snape had given him that fateful night in the Shrieking Shack. At that time, Harry had been too shocked by the discovery of what he was meant to do - allow Voldemort to kill him - to ponder on the other memories he had seen, save to understand Snape had been a spy for the Light all along.

After defeating Voldemort, Harry had returned to the Shrieking Shack to retrieve Snape's body, only to find him still alive, but barely so. In the following week, he had kept vigil by Snape's bedside in St. Mungo's, replaying those other memories in his mind's eye - Snape's unwavering love for Lily Evans, his crushing guilt and grief at having played an unsuspecting part in her and James Potter's deaths, his desperate vow to keep their only child safe.

All of it had made Harry realise there was so much more to Severus Snape than the cold and mocking facade he presented to the world. There was a wealth of passion, devotion and emotion in him... and Harry found himself longing to have all that for himself. Together with his friends and the other professors - even the portrait of Dumbledore - he had worked tirelessly to clear Snape's name and proclaim him a war hero. By the time Snape recovered, he had his old job of teaching Potions to look forward to when the new school year started.

If any of them had expected more than just gratitude though, they were sadly mistaken, poor Harry most of all.

In front of his fellow faculty members, Snape steadfastly maintained the Boy Who Lived had only cleared his name in a futile attempt to repay the many times Snape had saved his sorry arse. In front of the students, Snape stubbornly insisted Harry had only done so to further endear himself to his adoring public.

In short, Harry was as far away from Snape's good graces as he had ever been. He suffered through the expected stages of disbelief, anger, sadness and resignation while helping with the rebuilding of Hogwarts, his only solace the speed at which the funds poured in, together with volunteers offering might, magic and muscle.

Hence, Hogwarts was well on track to open her doors on September the first to welcome her students once again... while Snape would be waiting in his dungeons to terrorise them with his Potions lessons.

With a wry twist to his lips, Harry shook his head and looked at the ghostly numbers still hovering before him. It was midnight - time to make his birthday wish and then Apparate back to the Burrow to catch a few hours' sleep. The Weasleys and Hermione were planning a birthday party for him later in the day. Ginny's boyfriend would be there too, an ex-Hogwarts student she had met while clearing out the rubble in the Great Hall.

Harry cancelled the _Tempus_ charm. He should wish for something else... but he also knew there was nothing he wanted more than to have Snape return his feelings, as impossible as that seemed. Glancing up at the round moon, he took a deep breath.

"I wish I could show Snape I'm not the bully my dad was. I wish I could show Snape how highly I think of him after learning what he'd been doing for so many years and why. I wish I could show Snape I fancy him regardless of what he thinks of me."

A tiny sound from behind him had him spinning around, green eyes wide and heart in his throat.

"Who's there? _Lumos!_ "

There was no one there. Harry turned around in a slow circle, peering into the darkness beyond the brightly lit circle around him. He was all alone, the only one at the top of the Astronomy Tower of Hogwarts. In the middle of summer. At midnight.

With a huff of exasperation, Harry canceled his _Lumos_ with an almost vicious flick of his wand.

Well, what had he expected? That Severus Snape would suddenly appear before him to declare his undying love?

The mental image of the dour Potions Master doing just that was so unlikely Harry had to bite back a sudden mirthless chuckle.

Right. Like _that_ would ever happen.

If Snape could indeed appear here, summoned by Harry's lovelorn thoughts each time, the man would be heartily sick of his company by now because Harry hadn't been able to stop thinking of him at all. He rubbed his arms, feeling chilled despite the warm night. He had come here to escape the forced cheer of the Burrow for a couple of hours, but he didn't feel like staying here any longer, not wanting the painful memories of his sixth year to intrude.

Giving the moon a final glance, he turned around again and froze. He was no longer alone, the tall, imposing figure standing before him causing his heart to stutter and then to gallop.

"Snape!"

Shocked, Harry stumbled backwards until his back bumped against the metal railing, his wand falling from nerveless fingers to clatter on the stone floor.

"Potter."

Snape's voice was quiet, his expression uncharacteristically uncertain. It turned to alarm when the support Harry was leaning against started to shift, the ominous whine of twisting metal loud in their ears.

"Harry!"

Before Harry could move, Snape was three inches in front of him, strong fingers gripping his upper arms like vices and lifting him off of his feet, swinging him aside to safety. The world spun around Harry and he gasped, clutching at black robes and staring up into wide eyes as dark as the night sky, the pounding in his ears echoed by the matching one under his fingers.

Then Snape's mouth twisted. He gave Harry a hard shake before releasing him.

"Idiotic boy!" he snarled, lips drawn away from crooked teeth. "Are you trying to get yourself killed again? Must I be forever doomed to watch over you?"

"Wha - no! No, I wasn't!" Harry protested, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Severus Snape was really here, followed by the fact that he had saved him - again - and that he was now furious at him - also again. All very familiar except for one thing.

Had Snape also heard his fervently whispered words?

Feeling unaccountably nervous, goose bumps prickling across his skin, Harry averted his eyes and took a hasty step back. He bent down to retrieve his wand.

 _"Lumos,"_ he muttered and turned to survey the railing he had been leaning against, his eyes widening at the outward curve in the metal structure. Cancelling the charm, he turned back to Snape.

"Thank you, sir," he mumbled.

Snape gave a short nod and folded his arms across his chest.

"Do try to take care of yourself from now on, Potter," he drawled although his voice lacked its usual vitriol. "Surely you do not wish to be in deeper debt to me than you already are?"

Harry flushed.

"No, sir," he said, his breath catching when Snape took a step closer to him, forcing him to look up.

"I am not your professor right now," the man countered, his gaze and voice strangely wary.

Harry gulped. He shook his head, his mind now empty of words.

"But I do have excellent hearing."

Harry's flush deepened. He glanced away again, finding that black gaze unnerving in both its proximity and intensity.

"Yeah, well-"

"And I heard your wishes. All three of them."

There was a light but distinctly mocking tone in Snape's voice now. Harry pressed his lips together and glared at him, annoyed and flustered.

"You think I'm still joking, don't you?" he shot back and then he blinked.

Was that the tiniest twitch to Snape's lips?

No, it couldn't be. It had to be a trick of the moonlight... or something... because Snape was leaning towards him, his face getting closer and closer until his eyes, dark and glittering, were the only things Harry could see.

"No, I don't think you're joking... Harry," Snape said in a low voice, his breath warm on Harry's face. "My apologies, I was too blinded by my past. I didn't think you could ever like - I didn't dare hope-"

Harry wrapped his arms around Snape's neck and pressed his lips to the thin ones, stopping the halting words in the only way he knew how. He had heard enough for now. Perhaps in a little while once they were done kissing, he would ask Snape to elaborate further. Perhaps he would even grab enough courage to demand a proper - and justified - apology from him, but right now, Harry was contented.

The moon wasn't the only one who had heard his wishes. Thank Merlin for that!

\- Story End -

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it... please leave a review.


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